Chapter 108
In the solo world, reaching Level 5 carries a lot of weight.
First, it means breaking through at least the second-tier wall.
Second, they act based on their own beliefs rather than money.
(Of course, there are exceptions.)
Third, they do not appear in simple searches on the solo intranet.
(Only when they enable that function.)
Fourth, because of the above reasons, their whereabouts start becoming unclear.
(Of course, there are exceptions.)
To sum it up...
Yes, the best way to put it is that they become shrouded in secrecy.
Thus, to other solos, they were objects of admiration.
To linkers, they were treasures—people they desperately wanted to bring into their fold.
And now, that symbolic moment of promotion had come for Jin.
Along with an unexpected surge of experience points.
"Ah, damn..."
Jin clenched his eyes shut, shaking his leg irritably for a moment before regaining his composure and slowly opening his eyes.
Then, checking his terminal again—
The blinking alarm light indicated that new requests were pouring in even at that very moment.
The problem?
The displayed count was already (+999), meaning he had no idea just how many messages were actually buried inside.
So, with the same feeling as Pandora opening her fateful box, Jin clicked on the alarm button—half worried, half curious.
And, as expected—
A flood of text engulfed his vision.
This is insane.
Jin instinctively ran a hand over his forehead.
Thinking back—
From the start, his unprecedented growth rate had made him highly sought after in this industry.
Yet, there was only one of him to meet the demand.
To manage the overwhelming workload before stepping away for a while, he had left a brief message in his profile as a sort of alternative solution.
[R&D Ambassador here. Hard to check DMs.]
That sentence had long since lost all meaning.
Think about it.
When people send messages to celebrities, how many actually expect a response?
They send them anyway—one-sided transmissions of information.
The real issue?
Because everyone deep down thinks, "What if my message gets read?"
It results in a flood of bizarre, nonsensical messages.
Someone was asking him to officiate their wedding with a housekeeping android?
Why was someone sending him a meatball spaghetti recipe??
And what was this—"Saw what you did in the quarterfinals. Bribing your opponent, huh?"
Jin's face changed by the second as his thumb scrolled through the messages.
This was precisely why Level 5 solos were given the ability to disable searchability.
Without it, they'd be bombarded with endless harassment from anonymous senders.
A surprisingly practical reason, all things considered.
But then again, isn't that just how life works?
"Tch."
Jin quickly navigated through the menus, fumbling through settings until he enabled the search restriction feature.
Just like that, the alarms went silent.
Letting out a breath of relief, Jin immediately made a call.
["Jin."]
"Khalifa, I got promoted. Did you know?"
["We just checked. You're quick to notice."]
"'Just now?' My inbox has over a thousand messages."
A soft chuckle filtered through the receiver.
["Didn't I tell you a few days ago? Ever since your fight got broadcast, your name value has skyrocketed. And don't forget—you're the one who stopped Elina's rampage. That was all over the media. So this attention was inevitable, promotion or not."]
Jin scratched the back of his head.
"So the promotion itself just happened?"
["Exactly 13 minutes ago. We were going to call right away, but Po insisted you might be sleeping on the train. Anyway, congratulations, Jin."]
"Hah, this is all thanks to having a good linker. Well, that and my own brilliance, of course."
As befitting a future solo king, Jin saw no reason to be humble.
Still, he meant what he said about having a good linker.
Smiling, he added,
"Need anything? I'll bring it with me."
["Nah, just get here safely. No need for gifts. Though, now that I think about it... no one's here to eat the cookies I made."]
Oh, damn.
Khalifa's cookies.
Right.
Those existed.
Jin's eyes sparkled as he gazed out at the passing scenery.
"It should take about three days. That's how long it took to get here. But since I know the route this time, I might arrive earlier if I don't get lost."
So in the meantime, take good care of the manticore.
Just as Jin was about to wrap up the call—
["Jin."]
"Hm?"
["Do you know why solo rankings become more mysterious as they rise?"]
"...What?"
The sudden question made Jin blink.
"Because mystery sells?"
He threw out his own answer.
Khalifa didn't laugh.
She simply acknowledged it calmly.
["That's true. A certain level of mystery raises one's value. But there's a more important reason."]
The scenery outside suddenly shifted.
How long had it been since they left Primus Zone?
Reflected in the train window was a cold, gray city—
At some point, the train had become a speeding bullet slicing through the chaotic world of Lost City.
Khalifa's voice continued.
["It's because of grudges. No matter how cleanly a fixer handles their jobs, they can never be completely free from them. As long as you're alive, grudges are shackles you can never shake off."]
Jin adjusted his grip on the terminal, leaning back against his seat.
The transformed landscape reflected in his eyes, dyed in a cool blue hue.
["So be careful, Jin. I'm telling you this because you're growing faster than anyone before. You've been involved in so many major incidents—there are bound to be grudges accumulating against you, whether you realize it or not."]
"...Got it."
Jin answered.
Yesterday, it was the Sword Saint.
Today, it was Khalifa.
It struck him—he had quite a few people looking out for him.
Of course, it didn't feel like nagging.
Everything they said was for my own good.
So, with a smile, Jin ended the call, saying, "See you soon. Don't worry too much."
***
Jin first sensed something was off when he got off at the final stop.
Crossing the platform, he stepped onto the escalator.
That's when it happened—a strange sensation, a peculiar gaze.
Turning his head, he locked eyes with a man flicking earwax off his pinky.
"...What?"
"Mm. Nothing."
That wasn't the only instance.
At a food stall where he stopped for a snack, on the light rail and bus he took to transfer, even at the clothing store where he absentmindedly picked up a pair of underwear—those strange gazes followed him persistently.
And every time he turned around, it was always a different person.
It wasn't limited by age or gender, either.
Some were elderly with graying hair, while others were little kids clinging to their parents' hands.
Each gaze had a different reaction.
Some flinched and quickly looked away.
Others acted tough, as if to say, "What are you looking at?"
And then there were those who ran up excitedly, exclaiming, "Oh! I know who you are!" before asking for his autograph.
Had he been bewitched or something?
If they were just some shady types sneaking around, at least he could have beaten them up and been done with it.
But this?
Jin frowned, watching the back of the man who had just taken his autograph.
Then, he smacked his own cheek with his palm.
"Damn, that hurts."
Rubbing his stinging face, he continued walking.
Time passed.
By the time Jin glanced up at the sky, the sun was already beginning to set.
He decided to head for the nearest motel.
He did have a VIP card from Elina, so staying at a Gilliot Hotel would have been ideal.
But after realizing it was more than a 30-minute drive away, he gave up on the idea.
Maybe it was because of all the weird encounters, but he was getting chills down his spine.
He figured it was best not to wander around unnecessarily.
That brought him to the motel lobby.
Behind the counter labeled "Information" sat a middle-aged woman with heavy makeup.
As Jin approached, her ridiculously long false eyelashes twitched like an animal's ears.
"Staying the night?"
"Does the hot water work properly?"
"Of course."
"The toilet doesn't clog, right?"
"Obviously. You think this is some Zone 40 dump?"
Hot water and a functioning toilet?
That was good enough.
Jin quickly paid and took the key card.
But just as he was about to turn away—
The woman's voice rang out behind him.
"By the way, interested in a sex toy? We've got some real service-oriented folks. Seven hundred thousand credits for half a day. If you want real skin-to-skin, just add five hundred thousand more. And of course, they never disappoint. What do you say? Oh, and there's no limit on how many you can call over. Go wild."
Was she out of her mind?
That kind of money could buy a truckload of hot dogs.
"No thanks."
Jin shut down her offer with a single line.
Ignoring her amused gaze, he headed straight to his room and flopped onto the bed.
"Nghhh—"
Maybe he was just being overly sensitive, but he felt exhausted despite not doing much.
It was all because of those weird stares.
Clicking his tongue, Jin forced his sore body upright.
He undressed and walked into the bathroom.
Fortunately, the woman hadn't been lying.
Hot water did come out.
The problem was that it trickled like an old man's piss.
Could this even be called "working well"?
"Ah, seriously."
Anyone who's ever dealt with bad water pressure would understand his frustration.
Jin carefully adjusted the handle, searching for the perfect balance between heat and pressure.
But that attempt didn't last long.
He soon realized that if he wanted to actually wash up properly, he'd have to take a cold shower.
Should've just gone to the Gilliot Hotel!
Regretting his decision, he yanked the handle all the way to the right.
Fwoosh!
With a yelp, Jin finished his shower in record time and dried himself off with a burst of flames.
If he had to name it, he'd call it "Jin's Three-Stage Self-Combustion."
Of course, it wasn't exactly something he could show off without looking ridiculous.
Not that Jin cared.
After slipping into his newly bought underwear, he grabbed two canned drinks from the mini-fridge and collapsed onto the bed again.
Snuggling under the thin blanket, he lazily flipped through TV channels.
Dramas, movies, variety shows, sports, news—
Nothing held his interest for long.
He just kept switching channels absentmindedly.
Then, just as his eyelids started to droop—
Knock, knock, knock.
A sudden knocking sound.
Jin lifted his drowsy head.
He swallowed the saliva pooling in his mouth and wiped his chin with the back of his hand.
The knocking came again.
Knock, knock, knock.
"Who is it?"
"You called for me."
"…What? For what? Hot water?"
Grumbling, Jin lazily pulled on his pants and a T-shirt before opening the door.
Standing there was a woman dressed in… very permissive clothing.
"Oh."
Her face, initially neutral, brightened slightly when she saw him.
Slowly, warmth returned to her expression.
It was clear—she liked what she saw.
"The madam told me to come here. Yes, she did."
She shifted shyly, as if embarrassed.
It was a classic trick.
When a customer refused their offer, they'd "accidentally" send someone anyway.
Some guys, caught off guard, would change their minds once they saw the girl in person.
But Jin?
He'd been rolling around Downtown for a year and counting.
Jin had already fallen for this trick at least a dozen times.
Naturally, his counter-response was also quite adept.
The technique was called—"Politely Sending Them Back"!
"Ah, actually, I'm interested in men..."
At that very moment, the woman thrust her blade at Jin's abdomen.
It was so natural that it sent chills down his spine.
Jin instinctively caught the blade with his hand, intercepting the hidden strike within her exhale.
"…?"
When he looked back at the woman, her previously focused gaze had gone blank.
Whoosh!
He yanked the hand gripping the blade, pulling her forward, then struck the nape of her neck with a sharp chop.
As she lost consciousness and collapsed, he caught her and gently laid her down on the floor.
Just then, the door of the opposite room swung open.
"Hmm?"
A bald man, his shiny scalp reflecting the hallway light, stepped out while scratching his belly.
He glanced between the unconscious woman lying face-down on the tiled entrance and Jin, who was watching over her.
Then, he spoke.
"A bit too hasty, don't you think? Even so, the entrance is a bit..."
The next instant—
He pulled a gun from his coat and fired at Jin.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
There was no warning before the attack.
Jin dodged the bullets with superhuman reflexes, but one of them grazed his cheek, leaving a long scratch on his cheekbone.
"...."
He locked eyes with the man, whose gaze was hazy and unfocused.
Without hesitation, Jin raised his hand and delivered a sharp chop to the man's neck.
His eyes rolled back instantly.
As soon as the man's collapsing body hit the floor, a status window popped up.
「(Emergency!)(Linked) Assassin」— Subdue the assassin.— Reward: 7,000 XP
"An assassin?"
Jin frowned deeply.
Then—
BANG! BANG! BANG!
All the room doors burst open at once.